Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Genesis 12:7/רמב"ן על בראשית י״ב:ז׳

אוְטַעַם לַה' הַנִּרְאֶה אֵלָיו כִּי הוֹדָה לַשֵּׁם הַנִּכְבָּד וְזָבַח לוֹ זֶבַח תּוֹדָה עַל שֶׁנִּרְאָה אֵלָיו, כִּי עַד הֵנָּה לֹא נִרְאָה אֵלָיו הַשֵּׁם וְלֹא נִתְוַדַּע אֵלָיו בְּמַרְאָה וְלָא בְּמַחֲזֶה, אֲבָל נֶאֱמַר לוֹ "לֵךְ לְךָ מֵאַרְצְךָ" בַּחֲלוֹם הַלַּיְלָה אוֹ בְּרוּחַ הַקֹּדֶשׁ. וְיִתָּכֵן שֶׁיִּרְמֹז "הַנִּרְאֶה אֵלָיו" עַל סוֹד הַקָּרְבָּן (עיין רקאנטי כא ב), וְהַמַּשְׂכִּיל יָבִין:

1The sense of the expression, And there he built an altar unto the Eternal, who appeared unto him,⁵⁷ is that he gave praise to the Glorious Name⁵⁸ and offered unto Him a sacrifice of thanksgiving for His having appeared to him. Until now G-d had not appeared to him neither in a mar’eh nor in a machzeh.⁵⁹ and Machzeh are terms for different degrees of prophetic vision. See Ramban further, 15:1. See also Moreh Nebuchim, II, 41-5, for full discussion of these terms and other prophetic experiences. Rather, the command, Get thee out of thy country, was said to him in a nocturnal dream or through Ruach Hakodesh.⁶⁰, Chapter 45, beginning: “second degree of prophecy.” It is possible that the expression, Who appeared unto him, alludes to the mystery of the sacrifice. The one enlightened [in the mysteries of the Torah] will understand.